Holyrood hears evidence from campaigners against buffer zones outside abortion clinics
A mother has praised the support she received from pro-life activists outside an abortion centre, saying they gave her the “hope” she was searching for and had it not been for them her “beautiful daughter would not be here today”.
Alina Dulgheriu shared her personal experience with Holyrood’s health, social care and sport committee as it takes evidence on a bill that is aiming to create 200m buffer zones outside abortion clinics.
In recent weeks, the committee has heard from those generally in favour of the legislation.
On Tuesday, those against the bill were given an opportunity to have their say.
Ms Dulgheriu told the committee: “In 2011, I was single, abandoned, facing unemployment and terrified when I discovered I was pregnant.”
‘Pro-life vigil gave me the hope I was searching for’
Ms Dulgheriu said she booked an appointment for an abortion as she didn’t seem to have any other option as she had “little in the way of financial or emotional support”.
She said: “I wanted to keep her, but I didn’t know how, so my hope rapidly began to fade.
“The day that I turned up to my abortion appointment, a volunteer outside the clinic gently gave me a leaflet.
“Somewhere beneath the palpable anxiety and pressure, I felt it provided me with exactly what I was longing for.
“Some would say I already [chose] abortion, but the truth is I didn’t choose it. The pro-life vigil gave me the hope I was searching for.
“Had I not received the support from volunteers, my beautiful daughter would not have been here today.”
An anti-abortion protest, organised by 40 Days For Life, near the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow last month. Pic: PA
Ms Dulgheriu said she weighed up the two options and “chose motherhood”.
She added: “I chose to accept help. It wasn’t easy, but with the support of the group who had given me that leaflet, I could not be [prouder] of the life my daughter and I have charted [together].”
Ms Dulgheriu said “hundreds of women” have benefited from the same kind of support.
She added: “It is worrying that we will consider denying vulnerable women access to this potentially life-changing information, especially when facing one of the most challenging decisions of their lives that could have lasting ramifications on their mental and physical health.”
‘Pro-lifers demonised’
Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, co-director of March for Life UK, said she has been praying near abortion centres and speaking to women and couples for around 20 years.
She told the committee: “We know many, many women who felt empowered to make the choice they wanted to make to continue their pregnancy because of the support we offered them, which might be financial support, accommodation, childcare, friendship, baby goods, private medical care, etc.
“Essentially services not offered by the abortion providers.”
Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, co-director of March for Life UK, pictured last year. Pic: PA
Ms Vaughan-Spruce said campaign leaders would willingly work with authorities to condemn harassment.
She added: “To my experience, any women who have been anxious going for an abortion – apart from concerns about the abortion itself – were anxious about what they thought we might do because of the negative and twisted stories that are written about pro-lifers.
“What people hear or read about us is the chief cause of anxiety.”
Ms Vaughan-Spruce claimed her volunteers have been “screamed at, spat at, sworn at, even physically assaulted”.
She added: “Pro-lifers have been demonised. We’ve even had politicians calling us perverts. This has got to stop.”
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What are abortion clinic buffer zones?
Read more from Sky News:
MPs fear watering down of buffer zone rules at abortion clinics
France becomes first country in 50 years to make abortion a constitutional right
Scottish Greens MSP Gillian Mackay is behind the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Bill.
Ms Mackay said the buffer zones will “stop the intimidating protests”.
Scottish Greens MSP Gillian Mackay. Pic: PA
She added: “My heart and my solidarity is with the people who are being forced to pass a gauntlet of placards and banners.
“The protesters know about the impact that they are having. They know that people feel judged, intimidated and harassed. Do they not care that they are making so many people feel this way?
“They have seen all of the same testimonies and evidence that I have. Nobody should have to go through that to access healthcare.
“I urge all of the protesters to consider their own roles and the awful impact of their words and their banners.
“They can protest outside our parliament by all means, but to knowingly target people who are often in a vulnerable place is utterly wrong, and I am determined that my bill will put a stop to it.”
Panama’s capital city will accept cryptocurrency payments for taxes and municipal fees, including bus tickets and permits, Panama City mayor Mayer Mizrachi announced on April 15, joining a growing list of jurisdictions globally that have voted to accept such payments.
Panama City will begin accepting Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Circle’s USDC (USDC), and Tether’s USDt (USDT) stablecoin for payment once the crypto-to-fiat payment rails are established, Mizrachi posted on the X platform.
Mizrachi said previous administrations attempted to push through similar legislation but failed to overcome stipulations requiring the local government to accept funds denominated in US dollars.
In a translated statement, the Panama City mayor said that the local government partnered with a bank that will immediately convert any digital assets received into US dollars, allowing the municipality to accept crypto without introducing new legislation.
Panama City joins a growing list of global jurisdictions on the municipal and state level accepting cryptocurrency payments for taxes, exploring Bitcoin strategic reserves to protect public treasuries from inflation and passing pro-crypto policies to attract investment.
Related: New York bill proposes legalizing Bitcoin, crypto for state payments
Municipalities and states embrace digital assets
Several municipalities and territories around the globe already accept crypto for tax payments or are exploring various implementations of blockchain technology for government spending.
The US state of Colorado started accepting crypto payments for taxes in September 2022. Much like Panama City said it will do, Colorado immediately converts the crypto to fiat.
In December 2023, the city of Lugano, Switzerland, announced taxes and city fees could be paid in Bitcoin, which was one of the developments that earned it the reputation of being a globally recognized Bitcoin city.
The city council of Vancouver, Canada, passed a motion to become “Bitcoin-friendly city” in December 2024. As part of that motion, the Vancouver local government will explore integrating BTC into the financial system, including tax payments.
North Carolina lawmaker Neal Jackson introduced legislation titled “The North Carolina Digital Asset Freedom Act” on April 10. If passed, the bill will recognize cryptocurrencies as an official form of payment that can be used to pay taxes.
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As digital assets gain mainstream adoption, establishing a legal framework for stablecoins is a “good idea,” said US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.
In an April 16 panel at the Economic Club of Chicago, Powell commented on the evolution of the cryptocurrency industry, which has delivered a consumer use case that “could have wide appeal” following a difficult “wave of failures and frauds,” he said.
Powell delivers remarks at the Economic Club of Chicago. Source: Bloomberg Television
During crypto’s difficult years, which culminated in 2022 and 2023 with several high-profile business failures, the Fed “worked with Congress to try to get a […] legal framework for stablecoins, which would have been a nice place to start,” said Powell. “We were not successful.”
“I think that the climate is changing and you’re moving into more mainstreaming of that whole sector, so Congress is again looking […] at a legal framework for stablecoins,” he said.
“Depending on what’s in it, that’s a good idea. We need that. There isn’t one now,” said Powell.
This isn’t the first time Powell acknowledged the need for stablecoin legislation. In June 2023, the Fed boss told the House Financial Services Committee that stablecoins were “a form of money” that requires “robust” federal oversight.
Related: Stablecoins are the best way to ensure US dollar dominance — Web3 CEO
Support for stablecoin legislation is growing
The election of US President Donald Trump has ushered in a new era of pro-crypto appointments and policy shifts that could make America a digital asset superpower.
Washington’s formal embrace of cryptocurrency began earlier this year when Trump established the President’s Council of Advisers on Digital Assets, with Bo Hines as the executive director.
Hines told a digital asset summit in New York last month that a comprehensive stablecoin bill was a top priority for the current administration. After the Senate Banking Committee passed the GENIUS Act, a final stablecoin bill could arrive at the president’s desk “in the next two months,” said Hines.
Bo Hines (right) speaks of “imminent” stablecoin legislation at the Digital Asset Summit on March 18. Source: Cointelegraph
Stablecoins pegged to the US dollar are by far the most popular tokens used for remittances and cryptocurrency trading.
The combined value of all stablecoins is currently $227 billion, according to RWA.xyz. The dollar-pegged USDC (USDC) and USDt (USDT) account for more than 88% of the total market.
Magazine: Unstablecoins: Depegging, bank runs and other risks loom
An appellate court has granted a joint request from Ripple Labs and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to pause an appeal in a 2020 SEC case against Ripple amid settlement negotiations.
In an April 16 filing in the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, the court approved a joint SEC-Ripple motion to hold the appeal in abeyance — temporarily pausing the case — for 60 days. As part of the order, the SEC is expected to file a status report by June 15.
The SEC’s case against Ripple and its executives, filed in December 2020, was expected to begin winding down after Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse announced on March 19 that the commission would be dropping its appeal against the blockchain firm. A federal court found Ripple liable for $125 million in an August ruling, resulting in both the SEC and blockchain firm filing an appeal and cross-appeal, respectively.
However, once US President Donald Trump took office and leadership of the SEC moved from former chair Gary Gensler to acting chair Mark Uyeda, the commission began dropping multiple enforcement cases against crypto firms in a seeming political shift. Ripple pledged $5 million in XRP to Trump’s inauguration fund, and Garlinghouse and chief legal officer Stuart Alderoty attended events supporting the US president.
Related: SEC dropping Ripple case is ‘final exclamation mark’ that XRP is not a security — John Deaton
Despite support for the end of the case coming from both Ripple and the SEC, the August 2024 judgment and appellate cases leave some legal entanglements. Alderoty said in March that Ripple would drop its cross-appeal with the SEC and receive a roughly $75 million refund from the lower court judgment. It’s unclear what else may result from negotiations over a settlement in appellate court.
New leadership at SEC incoming
Acting chair Uyeda is expected to step down following the US Senate confirming Paul Atkins as SEC chair on April 9.
During his confirmation hearings, lawmakers questioned Atkins about his ties to crypto, which could create conflicts of interest in his role regulating the industry. In financial disclosures, Atkins stated he had millions of dollars in assets through stakes in crypto firms, including Securitize, Pontoro and Patomak.
Magazine: SEC’s U-turn on crypto leaves key questions unanswered
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